Chapter 1

Part 3:

"I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go"

There I was sitting in the locker room after practice and Charlie walks up wearing his letterman jacket and smiling like an idiot.

"I have a date with her tonight," he stated simply.

I looked at him pointedly and unsmiling, "A date? I thought it was a casual fling."

He looked at me blankly. "It is a 'casual fling'."

I shook my head at him. "Are you paying?" He nodded and I continued. "Then it's not a fling; it's a date."

"Well maybe I want it to be a date," Charlie said towering above me as I sat to lace up my sneakers.

"What is it about this girl that makes you willing to throw away the rest of your life without a second thought?" I asked switching to tie my other shoe.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I'm not throwing away my life. You take things too seriously. I'm a football player not a presidential candidate; if I want to date a beautiful girl I don't see how that could possibly ruin my future."

I stood up and was at level with his height staring him straight in the eye. "Your life, your mistakes."

"You need to make more mistakes," he said stepping back from me toward the locker room exit. "Cam's actually pretty cool. You could come."

I followed him out the door, "I'm not interested in being set up with some girl. I can manage just fine by myself."

He shook his head, "I'm not saying you wouldn't it's just she's a cool chick and you're not doing anything tonight so why don't you just come along. Hell, this way you can chaperone and make sure I'm not 'getting into trouble'."

"If I come am I going to have to put up with a lifetime of this Cam girl thinking she's someday going to marry me like your sister always does?" I asked as we crossed the street to our apartment.

Charlie shook his head vehemently. "Trust me that's the last thing Cam would ever assume about you."

I stopped at the door with my hand on the knob and looked at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing it's just she kind of hates you," he muttered and my jaw dropped. He shook his head and pulled open the door and I stood there with my eyebrows pushed together until I followed him up the stairs to our living room.

"She told you that?" I asked blankly.

Charlie nodded. "Yep."

I flopped onto the leather sofa. "That's crap."

Charlie just shrugged searching through a pile of laundry that seemed to have permanently taken up residence in our living room. "You've never given her a reason not to."

"What ever happened to innocent 'til proven guilty?" I asked confusion written all over my face.

"You cocky bastard. You're just upset that finally a girl doesn't seem to be fooled by your façade and now you might actually have to work to get her to like you," he said laughing at me then the room filled with silence. "I guess that means I should Call Meg and tell her to bring Cam."

I nodded then got off the sofa. "I guess that means I should change into something nicer."

"Why do I have to come be your third wheel again?" I pleaded with Meg as she practically dragged me down the stairs to where Charlie would supposedly be waiting for us.

"You're not going to be a third wheel; he's bringing a friend for you," she said simply adjusting her bra as she turned to trample down the second flight of stairs.

"Great now I'll get to put up with two idiot football oafs," I muttered and she turned as if to reprimand me.

"Cam for someone who loves football as much as you do, you sure hate football players," she stated simply then began to make her way down the stairs again with me in tow.

"I don't hate them I just don't understand why Charlie can't just take you out on a proper date without dragging me along," I replied simply changing my tactic for getting out of this from complaining to making a valid point. "It seems suspicious to me that he doesn't want to be alone with you."

She smiled at me secretly. "Don't worry he will be."

I groaned as we reached the bottom of that flight of stairs and onto the last one. "You're going to ditch me with this guy, aren't you?"

She flashed me an evil grin, "Maybe."

"You evil bitch," I stated simply then shoved my nose into the air to avoid her reaction.

She laughed at me. "Cam will you just relax. Who knows? Maybe you'll have fun," she added pushing through the stairwell door to reveal Charlie and the intolerable Sean Miller.

"Doubtful," I muttered so only she could hear, which she shot me a dirty look at but the turned directly the Charlie and grabbed his hand.

Charlie whistled at her and looked down at her blushing face as she stepped closer to him. "You look so unbelievable."

She blushed even deeper and tapped her shoulder lightly against his body. "You look good too," she practically whispered.

It wasn't until the both of them stared walking away that I realized Sean looking at me a bit shocked. "What's that face about?" I asked starting to walk in the path of Charlie and Meg.

He followed suit and trotted to catch me a second later. "Nothing. What look?"

I looked over to him. "What, no witty reply?" I asked sarcastically.

He shook his head. "I must admit my mind is completely blank at this exact instant," he said almost sounding breathless and I noticed his cheeks turn pink from the cold.

"Surely you're used to it by now," I stated coldly but at the same time covering a smile.

"You enjoy making fun of me too much for me to reply to that," he said and stared at me expectantly.

I looked over at him for really the first time and noticed he looked pretty good in his long-sleeve button-up t-shirt and this goofy grin on his face. "I don't necessarily enjoy it; you just make it so easy that I'd be a fool to not take the opportunity."

He looked as though he might laugh but held back instead and walked along quietly.

I stared ahead searching for Meg but I couldn't hear a thing. "Where are they?" I asked mostly to myself but Sean decided maybe he could actually articulate a response for that one.

"I think they're already there."

I still refused to look at him. "Already where?"

He coughed. "Actually I don't think I know."

I groaned. "Why was I even forced long on this escapade if I was going to be ditched as soon as I stepped foot out of the door?" I asked slightly angry and turned to head back to the dorm.

"Why were you asked to come? Why the hell was I dragged along!" he practically growled.

I turned back to him. "You mean you didn't…" I drifted off.

"I didn't what? Ask for you to come?" he laughed derisively. "Hell no I didn't. Charlie practically tricked me into coming."

I stopped walking and looked at him with my mouth agape. "Well I didn't request you that's for sure," I replied icily with my lips pursed in hatred.

"There you guys are," Meg said suddenly popping up near us looking worried. "We were just looking for you."

Charlie showed up behind her. "Okay that's not true Megan and I were snooping and she got scared that one of you might kill the other."

I smiled at Charlie. "Well you're just in time then."

"Good because honestly dearest you need some alcohol in your system," Charlie replied smiling mischievously at me.

I flashed him a grin. "Now who knew that of the lot of you Charlie would end up being the one I liked the most?" I said smiling and following Charlie across the quad.

"Hey!" I heard Megan squeak then heard the clunk of her hells as she ran to catch me, "It was just as much Charlie's idea to leave you with Sean as it was mine."

I turned to her with my face stern, "It's done Meg. Just don't leave me with him again before I'm forced to hurt him."

I heard Sean snort from behind me and turned on him with my eyes alight. "Something to say Sean?" I asked smiling sweetly.

He puffed all the air from his lungs and scowled at me. "Absolutely nothing Camera."

My eyes twitched wanting to scowl but I held back and plastered another smile to my face. "Okay there, Seany Woney?"

He scowled again and Megan giggled. "I don't think he likes that very much Cameron," she said when his face reddened in anger.

I smiled at him again and turned to continue down Charlie's path. "Oh I think he likes it just fine."

I was the last to reach the bar and found Charlie waving me over to the table he was at with Megan and the other girl.

I'll admit she's pretty, but infuriating, and I would have gotten here faster if I didn't have the image of her fiery green eyes staring me down stuck in my head.

"Seany Woney so nice of you to join us," she said mock-sweetly as I walked up and sat on the remaining stool.

"I'm choosing to ignore you," I grumbled and couldn't help but smile behind my menu as I searched for something to eat.

I peaked around the menu to see her staring at me with one eyebrow quirked and a hidden smile. She opened her mouth obviously to shoot me some quick reply but Megan interrupted her thoughts when she said to me, "So Sean how are things for you?"

I looked at her as if she was an alien and I saw Cameron shake her head in my peripheral vision. "Um… things are things."

Charlie laughed. "What Sean means is that things are football and outside of that the rest doesn't matter."

I smiled and shrugged. "Football is life after all."

Cam leaned forward toward me and her eyes were burning again. "That's kind of sad that outside of the walls of that stadium you have nothing."

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "Listen Cam that's a little harsh don't you think?"

I stood-up not as offended as Cam had hoped I'd be and crossed the bar to the jukebox and shoved a couple quarters in picking my song then made my way slowly back to the table.

Cameron just sat there looking, if I didn't know any better, as if she might be ashamed but then quickly regained her composure and smiled evilly at me. "Country music eh? I never had that one pegged."

I smiled loving how much she thought she could tare me down. "I am from Minnesota. They do farm there."

She sighed obviously finding no retort for such a simple reply.

Megan broke in again. "Cam's from Florida."

I looked at her like an alien again and then back toward Cam. "Congratulations?"

Cam just raised her hand and made eye contact with the waitress, "I'm basically going to need the most alcoholic drink you have here," she said smiling at the girl. I held up a two with my hand signaling one for me too and the waitress nodded walking away from us.

Ok that's done. A little weird I think... not as good as I hoped. :(

Ok but still a review would be nice!

p.s. I love all of you who have done so thus far. Shout out for that.